Friday, June 8, 2018

A Father's Day Tribute

My table this week celebrates the life of my dear Daddy.    This will be my first Father's Day without him.   These "first" are so hard, but I wanted to set the table as a tribute to his 80 years of life.    Daddy had a gentle soul and was a loving man.   He was the perfect Southern gentleman and was always there to lend a hand and help you when you needed it.    Daddy had many hobbies, but I think flying was his favorite.  He purchased his first airplane in the late 60's soon after he became a private pilot.  I have so many great memories of flying a couple hours from our hometown airport in central North Carolina to Myrtle Beach just to eat ice cream then return.  Those trips out with Dad on the weekends gave me the desire to learn to fly and achieve all my ratings to become a commercial pilot.    Each place setting reflects a few of his hobbies.   If he wasn't flying, he was restoring old cars, driving his tractor and growing a huge garden to feed the family.   He was also a member of a couple bluegrass bands over his lifetime and played the upright (doghouse) bass.   


Father's Day tablescape. 






I used a Ford Red Belly tractor in the centerpiece.  Dad owned and restored several of these over the years.   The galvanized container can be used as a candle holder or flower vase.   I thought it would be nice on this table since it has a rustic feel and goes nice with the wood slices.  I placed a preserved boxwood wreath around the candle holder. 


The handkerchief was made by my friend Sharon in North Carolina after my Dad passed away.   It was a very special gift to receive and I will cherish it forever.  
The napkin rings are actually cake topper decorations that I found at Lanier Hardware on a trip home to Lexington a couple years ago.  I folded the napkins like a necktie then added the topper. 



I used a picture of Dad at each place setting representing his hobbies. 


Overhead view of the table. 

The plate stack starts with place mats that I made using shopping bags.  You can find the tutorial here.  I spotted these plaid bags when entering Tuesday Morning last year and knew they would be perfect for the Father's Day table.    The red dinner plates are from Pier One and the gray salad plates are from HomeGoods.   

I topped each place setting with items that reflect his hobbies.   He loved playing the guitar along with several other musical instruments.   The Cessna 170 was the last aircraft he owned.   He and my Mom restored that aircraft in the 70's.   The Farmall tractor is similar to the one that he owned along with a few Ford tractors over the years.   The 1963 Thunderbird is similar to the ones that he and Mom drove in the 60's.   They had the hard tops, not convertibles. 


The 1963 Ford Thunderbird model on the server was a gift to Dad from me many years ago.   My Mother drove one just like this and it was passed down to me in 1976 as my first car.   She was a rocket!   Dad sold it to a film studio in the early 80's. 



I used a few tractors, cars and a school bus on the bookcases beside the server.  Dad loved VW's and especially the VW Bug.  He restored several in his lifetime and recently assisted my brother and nephew to restore one for my nephew to drive.    When Dad retired he became a part time special education school bus driver.   When he was a high school student in the 50's he was also a bus driver at his high school.   



Dad enjoying time in the cockpit of a WWII T6 aircraft that belonged to his best friend Jeff. 

Dad put musical instruments in our hands and encouraged us to play as young children.  All three children learned to play the guitar and other instruments over the years.  I played the  saxophone and my brother pictured played the trumpet in the school band.  Our Mom was the piano player in the family. I play by ear, but never took formal lessons.   My youngest brother plays several musical instruments and passed his talents on to my nephew. 

Happy Father's Day Daddy!  ♥

Catherine

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10 comments:

  1. JoyJune 9, 2018 at 5:29 PM

    Oh, Catherine, what a wonderful tribute table to your father. I know you miss him and I pray you'll have many sweet memories of him this Father's Day.
    My Dad died the day after Father's Day a few years ago,so I'm past the "first" one but it is still a time of remembering the good times with him, and of missing him.

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    1. CatherineJune 9, 2018 at 9:39 PM

      Thank you Joy. It's going to be a difficult day, but I know he's in a much better place this year.

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  2. Sandy ParkJune 10, 2018 at 8:39 AM

    Catherine, what a GREAT TRIBUTE to your Father and a beautiful table to his memory. He was quite a man. Thanks for sharing his history with us.

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    1. CatherineJune 10, 2018 at 4:23 PM

      Aww, thank you so much Sandy. He was a great Father. :)

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  3. Our Hopeful HomeJune 10, 2018 at 7:05 PM

    This is such a precious tribute to your dad, Catherine! He sounds like he was an awesome father. It's great that you have so many happy memories. I didn't know you were a pilot! Funny, my dad was Army Air Force in WWII and his hobbies were flying and ham radio. He always wanted us kids to get our pilot's license but we all took a pass on that:) Thanks for sharing with Vintage Charm! xo Kathleen

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    1. CatherineJune 10, 2018 at 8:33 PM

      Thank you so much Kathleen. Nice to hear your Dad was a pilot during WWII. I'm sure he flew some really great airplanes. My Dad was so happy that I became a pilot. As he was fading away and his mind was very confused he could still remember everything about flying.

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  4. The Charm of HomeJune 11, 2018 at 10:17 AM

    Love how you personalized it with photos! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

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  5. thepaintedapron.comJune 11, 2018 at 3:49 PM

    So much fun!!! Love the napkin rings!

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    1. CatherineJune 11, 2018 at 6:46 PM

      Aww, thank you so much. I found these in the cake decorating isle at my hometown hardware store in Lexington, NC. They have the coolest things in stock. Cannot wait to go home again this Summer and see what is new. :)

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